Paper Crafting Obsession

Twisted Easel Card

2011-03-09T05:51:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun making this twisted easel card for my swap in my card swap group. I watched a video from West Coast Scrappers. If you'd like to try it, check out their YouTube Video HERE.

I'm working on a double twisted easel now. I hope it turns out well.

Paper Layouts vs. Digital Layouts

2011-02-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

It has been a long time since I actually did real paper scrapbooking. I have been doing more and more digital scrapbooking because I can do it with no mess in my house and I can easily have it made into the digital books online. I love that. I can also use and re-use the kits which actually cuts down on the cost of buying paper. All this said, I spent 6 hours last night at a scrapping crop with a Creative Memories consultant and I remembered how much fun it is to do a hands-on, paper-cutting, tape and gluing layout. It is especially fun when you can do it with other people and chat the whole time.

These layouts I made don't have any Creative Memories stuff in them, but I did buy some papers which are super cute for next time! I have to print the pictures to go with the papers. So here's what I made. I spent most of the time making my boys' Valentine's. The airplanes still need to have banners attached, but I haven't printed those yet.

Most people have seen this kind of Valentine by now. I love how cute they turn out. I saw one online that also said, "Valentine, you make me snicker!" and then the little girl was holding a Snickers bar. Totally cute.

These will have a banner tied onto the back with Happy Valentine's Day on it and my son's signature on the back. He's a little too old (5th) for the traditional cutesy Valentines, so we went with something a little cooler.

This is my layout I finished last night. Not sure who makes the orange edged paper, but there is some Basic Grey on there as well as a folder I made using one of the Basic Grey folders as a template.

The folder opens for a lot of journaling space...

There are two pages for journaling....

I believe the "words" in the back are from Basic Grey as well. They are actually on a transparency, so I can add a background behind it. I tried that. Let me know which you like better. I think the white looks crisper and Springier, but the dots look warmer and more "Fall". What do you think?

Christmas Planner - Free Printable

2010-08-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

Okay... well, I don't just have a paper crafting obsession, I also have a Christmas decorating obsession! I love it and I love Christmas.   While looking for Christmas decorating ideas on the internet, I came across a group of ladies who decorate to the MAX! They truly don't just decorate for Christmas like most... they put up LOTS of trees, they have open houses, they have parties, they make dinners, they have cookie exchanges.   The Yahoo group is run by Melody and a she is the maxest maxer of them all! She has 70 or so trees and has had magazine articles written about her beautiful Christmas display. If you are a maxer, want-to-be maxer, or just love Christmas, her group is the one to join. You get TONS of crafting, food and decorating ideas right in your email inbox. Participation is mandatory at least once a month. Sharing your ideas and traditions is a fun way to get ready for the holiday all year long!   If you want to find this group... go here.

One of the things that is helpful at Christmastime, whether you decorate to the max or to the min, is staying organized. With gift buying, decorating, menus, parties, crafting, etc, etc, etc.... there is lots of planning to do. I've created some pages to use in my person planner that I thought I'd share with you.    If you have any ideas for other pages you may need, leave a comment and I will try to come up with a page for you.

These pages are 8 1/2 x 11 inches. To get them, click on the picture and it will open full-sized in a new window. You should be able to just print it from there, but if it doesn't work properly, you can right-click on it and save it to your hard drive then print it from your Paint program on your computer.   Some of the pages are just dividers for your notebook. If you are trying to save ink, you don't have to print those.   Place each page in a 3-ring binder plastic cover and stay organized!

The next four pages are dividers.... Make a section just for those crafty, wonderful tree themes, garlands, tablescapes and vignettes you find in magazines and online. Print them from websites (http://www.bhg.com/ and http://www.marthastewart.com/) always have great ideas!) and cut your ideas from magazines and place them in a page cover for future reference.

A budget is a good thing to have for any project, so this is a list to help you to keep your $$$ under control.

This is a list for those heirloom gifts you have. This will be a nice list to give to your children when they move away from home and you hand down those ornaments with sentimental value for their first Christmas tree.

Ever buy a Christmas gift in January while all of the great after-Christmas sales are going on only to forget you had it and where you stored it??? If not, then your memory is awesome! If so, this is the list for you {amd me!}

For those of you who like to get in Christmas Card or Ornament swaps, here is a directory so you can keep your swaps straight!

I hope you enjoy these! Again, if you have ideas for other pages, let me know in the comments section below.

I've linked this post up to the following linky parties!

and

Today's Card

2010-07-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

This is a wedding card I made today for my husband's cousin. The background is shiny and the balls in the middles of the flowers are actually edible candies for decorating cookies. LOL! The Best Wishes and the edging are done with peel-offs as well as are the stickers in the inside.

July Birthday Cards

2010-07-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

I needed to make a birthday card for my friend today but I had no inspiration, so I turned to 2 Sketches 4 You for a layout idea. Here's what I came up with using their layout. Pretty literal, but it is what I needed... something to follow.

Inside... Happy Birthday pop-up using a brass stencil. I drew the Best wishes

and the And Many More (as if you couldn't tell).

Another friend's birthday card I made today.

Tami

Pretty Teacher Cards

2010-06-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

I spent the day making cards for teachers. Here they are.... The first two are not original ideas. I saw them somewhere online or maybe in a magazine or something.

Not sure how I'm going to give this card. It may just get taped to the top of the gift!

The glue is still wet on this one. There is a thin string across the top of the banners...

Forgot to take a picture of this card, so you only get to see the envelope. Sorry!

Have a great summer!

Tami

How to Sew an Easter Egg Card

2010-03-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

I made this card for a swap partner {hope she doesn't see it! Ssshhhhh!}

I started with some fusible fleece so I could get a quilted feel and ironed on the floral fabric.

I then cut the other fabrics roughly so they would sort of stick out over the edges. I didn't want

them to be too perfect so you could tell it is handmade. {crazy, right?}

I then sewed on the stripes, sewed around the whole egg, added the ball edging and ric rack and glued the whole thing to some patterned paper. I then glued that paper to some cardstock and edged everything with peel-offs. The chipboard was then added to the top to give it that fabragé egg feel and flowers added just because I ♥ flowers.

Tami

Sign For Craftroom Door

2010-02-28T14:55:00.000-08:00

You can click this picture to see it larger. I can't get Blogger to let me make the pictures any larger than this!

I made this sign today using, what else? Paper! I found a wooden sign which I bought after Christmas two years ago just to paint over. I has been sitting in my cabinet awaiting its destiny. Its day has come! I painted over the cheezy Christmas saying {I should mention... I got this at Dollar General after Christmas 90% off! It was $.35!} I took the cheezy raffia ribbon off.

Next, I cut a piece of paper to size by tracing the sign shape on the back of a piece of 12x12 paper. I then brushed ModPodge on the whole thing and stuck the paper on and pushed and smoothed to get all of the bubbles out. I then ModPodged over the paper too.

Next, I stamped the letters and cut them out. I found lots of chipboard in my stash, so I painted those up {the butterfly and red glitter heart, the L and the E}. I then arranged my sign as I liked it and glued everything down using Aileen's Tacky Glue. I love the way it turned out and can't wait to get it up on my door. {It still needs to dry a bit!}

Now for a few cards I made in my happy place. :-)

The Pajama Party (be sure to check it out!) had a bit of a theme going last Wednesday, and that theme was quilling. I bought the stuff to quill about 10 years ago and never did it. I don't know why. I wanted to, but I never did. So with the PJ Party as inspiration, I gave it a try. It isn't my fav thing to do, but maybe with some practice, my quilled shapes will get more even. Anyway, here's what I made.

This is a card I made for my friend's birthday. I have to get it in the mail tomorrow so she gets it this week!

Tami

Pop-Up Card and Template Link

2010-02-20T14:52:00.000-08:00

This is a card I made for a Black and White card swap. Isn't it pretty? I love the way it turned out. Each corner and the middle of the circle has a gem stone so that it is all sparkly and the peel-offs give it a little more elegance.

This is the front of the card. I used a temporary tatoo on paper to get the circle part. I felt it mimicked the circle inside.

Here is where I go the card template. It is the Evermon one at the bottom. Give it a try! It really is pretty easy.

How to Make a Felt Valentine Door Stand-Up card

2010-02-01T14:22:00.000-08:00

How CUTE did this turn out??? I saw this card in a magazine maybe a month or two ago. Theirs was different, but it inspired me to make one like it. I included a little tutorial below in case you'd like to try it yourself! Sorry, I don't remember the magazine. It is one a friend had with her. I want to say it was Today's Creative Home... :-(

I tried to show the "frost" on the windows in this picture, but it doesn't show up well because it is white on white, but it is pretty and sparkly in real life....
Okay, so what you need to make this card is....

1) 1 Sheet of patterned paper (to cover the chipboard back)

2) 1 Sheet of chipboard (any kind of heavy paper will do.... even the side of a cereal box)

3) 1 Sheet of pink felt

4) 1 Sheet of white felt

5) 1 Sheet of red felt

6) A heart shaped brad

7) Flower pot (you could make one using a stamp or just cut one out by hand)

8) Bush and flowers (use what you have!)

9) a sewing machine and white thread (you could sew by hand if inclined)

10) glue

11) white glitter

12) a button for the door handle

Step 1

Cut the chipboard to the size you would like your card to be. Mine is 5 in. x 6 in.

Step 2

Cut a "stand" for your card using the leftover chipboard. Mine is 2 inches across the top and 3 inches across the bottom. I made the stand about 1/2 in. shorter than the card so the card will lean back. So, the stand is 4-1/2 inches high. (See the picture)

Step 3

Cut two pieces of the patterned paper to cover the front and back of the chipboard background. Also cut patterend paper to cover the stand. Glue all pieces into place. No chipboard should show.

Step 4

Cut the white background felt for the windows and door. These should be approximately 1-1/2 inches wide x 5 inches high for the windows and 2-3/4 inches wide x 5 inches high for the door.

Step 5

Cut the red felt for the doors and windows. I cut each of these approximately 1/4 inch smaller than the white pieces. So, the windows should be 1-1/4 inches wide and 4-3/4 inches tall

The door is 2- 1/2 inches wide by 4-3/4 inches tall.

Step 6

Cut the pink for the doors and windows. Again, make them 1/4 inches smaller than the red.

Step 7

Cut the little squares for the door. I did 6 that are 3/4 inch x 3/4 inch.

Step 8

Cut the Whites for the windows and doors in the same fashion. The windows should be about 1/4 inch smaller than the pink you cut out. The door window on the top was just eyeballed. I halfed a piece of felt and cut an arch and cut it down until it fit. The width of that at its widest is about an inch and a half.

Okay... now you have your pieces cut out, it is time to start sewing. The main thing to remember is that it gets pretty thick so you should do it in parts.

Step 1

Sew the reds to the white backgrounds first. Be sure to sew fairly close to the edge so that your stitches show nicely. I had to trim some of my felt to make it fit better.

Step 2

Sew the small pink squares and the white windows to the windows and door. Now sew horizontal lines on the white side windows to create window panes.

Step 3

Sew the pink door and windows to the red and hand-sew the button door knob onto the door.

Now you are ready to assemble the whole thing!

Glue the door and windows to the card. I use crafting glue and it sticks just fine. Make a heart from your leftover scraps of red felt and put the brad through the middle of it. Glue the red heart to the door. Add white glitter to the panes of glass on the windows (including the door).

I used Karen-Marie's Laser Cuts (see below) topiaries in front of the dooor. I used pop-dots to put the flowers on the bushes and I painted over the orange flower pots with some Sparkling H2O's to make them look more pink and thereby match the door. Not everyone will be able to find these laser cuts. I found them at our dollar store (!!!) for $1! If you have a flower pot stamp and some flowers, you could make your own cut outs. I then attached them to the card using pop-dots.

Now just glue the stand to the top of the back of the card (align it with the top) and you are finished! Now give it to your Valentine's Day SWEETIE!

Have fun!

Tami

How to Assemble Paper Decoupage Cards and Free Printable

2009-07-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

Christmas is coming up quickly! For card crafters anyway.....

If you are like many of the ladies I know, you are starting your cards soon so you will have them done by Christmas. I thought I'd post a free printable sheet that can be used to make the 3D shabby "snowflakes" I posted last Christmas. You can see those here. I used them on cards and I made some ornaments for my Shabby Chic Christmas Tree.

Here are the sheets. Click on each one (this will open them so that they are full-sized) and print them at the highest resolution you can and they will look awesome.

Here is a smaller blue version if you would like it!

To assemble, here is what you will need.

Mounting foam. I get this at the dollar store or at WalMart. The often have them with the framing stuff. They have sticky stuff on each side and a peel off on each side.

Glitter. I used a clear one that has a little pink in it and some glue.

Prescision scissors for cutting out your elements. I didn't show it, but an Exacto knife can be nice for cutting out those little triangles in the middle. I tried to cut them with the scissors, but they looked messy.

Cut out your pieces so that they look like this. To assemble, you will choose the largest piece for the bottom and then pile them up largest to smallest.

Put your mounting foam on the backs of each piece and remove the sticker backs when you are ready to assemble.

To assemble, line up the design so it overlaps exactly as it was when you cut it out. YOu will notice that I didn't cut out these white triangles on the lower levels. You can cut them out if they bother you, but they aren't very noticable once you get the whole thing together.

And here it is assembled.

Next, I put some glitter glue (Elmer's will work fine) on the middle and then on every other section the whole way around.

Take a cheap paintbrush and smooth the glue on each section. I put the glue on the whole thing first and then smoothed it all at once. It doesn't dry very quickly so you can do this.

Next, find a piece of scrap paper that you can fold in half and use it under the following step. This will help with clean-up. Sprinkle glitter on the whole thing.

Now, tip the ornament up and tap it so that the excess glitter comes off onto your folded paper.

Fold the paper and pour the excess glitter back into its container.

Your ornament is ready to be used on a card as is or you can add a few more embellishments to make it even more shiny!

I added a ribbon loop and a crystal in the middle and I will use this on my Christmas Tree, but you can easily just glue it to the front of a card or even onto a compact disk that you have lying around. That will add some weight to it and make the back all prismy. (Is that a word? Probably not, but you get the idea)

Cards for Teachers

2009-06-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

G's teacher is retiring this year. Boo hoo! She really is a great teacher! This is the card that I made for her. I used some old wallpaper (the pink check), some fabric which I scanned and used as digital filler for the letters and the stamp and a different one for the rose background.

The basket of spa goodies are something I've had around FOREVER. Like 10 years. I guess it was time to use them. They didn't have the packaging with them anymore, so I'm not sure who made them.

The flowers on the back are stamped (stamp by Hero Arts), and the circle with the flower at the top & the chipboard square button is from LemonTree Arts.

This is one for my other son's teacher. Most of it is from a Sweet Shoppe digital kit

called Garden Tea Party by Zisla Scrapbook Graphics.

And this one is for a swap that I'm in. It is supposed to have something that moves in or on it. I wanted to do a pop-up, so I used this one from the Cannon website. It is a 3D cup of coffee. The picture isn't quite perfect, sorry!

Caterpillars On My Walls!

2009-06-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

My boys' rooms are very bright... I know. They picked the colors for the most part.

Today I got the little vinyl stickers for my walls from Lewa's Designs. Let me just say... they are SOOOO cute and they really are so simple to put on your wall. I wasn't sure how they really stuck to the wall or how you got them all on without moving them about. It was SO simple. You just peel away some paper, stick it to the wall, rub it a bit, let it sit there for a little while and peel off the tape and VVVWWWAAALLLLAAAA! It is on the wall. She has an Etsy Shop where you can check them out. I want to order more now that I see how cute they are.

This is V's. It is on the shelf that goes around the top of his room. That's where he wanted it.
Sorry for the bad pictures. I was taking them as the boys were going to bed, so I can't go re-take.

And this is G's with a close-up below. I'd love to do about 6 more across that line. He's big into bugs, aliens, owls, creepy animals of any sort. LOL! They both really loved the little caterpillars. They are everywhere outside, so they are appropriate at this time of year. They always want to bring them in the house, so now they have their very own that can come INSIDE!

I hope you'll go check them out. And, Mom, if you see this, I have a wishlist! :-)

Tami

Live It Up

2009-06-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

This is a card I did for the ULTIMATE CARD SHOWDOWN challenge over at 2Sketches4You!

Here is the sketch....

And this is how it works....They give you the sketch and you come up with the card. I really enjoyed doing my first sketch card. It is nice to have it all mapped out for you! I don't know if you can tell or not, but under the red embellishment (which is popped up with pop-dots), there is a piece of ribbon that I found after Christmas. It has a wire edge, so I folded the wire to create a sort of ruffle at the bottom. Then I cut the ribbon in half so that I could cut the other wire edge off. I also cut the bird in the tree out of the same ribbon. The tree is from a set or laser cuts that I found at the dollar store.

{You can see it more closely if you click on it}

Be sure to go over and see how the other 300 or so paper crafters did it! There is a great Linky party... so put on your party pants and get on over there!

Tami

Get Your Free Wall Decals Here!

2009-05-31T08:37:00.001-07:00

Check this out! Lewa's Designs is giving away free decals if you blog about their giveaway.

It's an awesome deal and the designs are SOOO cute! She has an Etsy Shop where you can check them out.

Here are a few that you just have to see!

{These are my favoites! A whole birdie family!}

{How funny and whimsical is this???}

{Oh how I love a polka dot!}

Jump over there and check out her store! The prices are really reasonable too!

Tea Cup Card

2009-05-10T08:00:00.001-07:00

Here is a 3D card I made for my MIL for Mother's Day. I used Mod Podge over the whole thing to give it a brushed effect. I'm including the 3D sheet I made for you to print out. Be sure to only use it for personal use. I'm unsure who the artist is as this came through a group.

Tami

Mother's Day Card

2009-05-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

The teacup image was made into a 3D image in PSP by me. I then decoupaged over it with ModgePodge which gave it some texture.

Cards o' the Month

2009-04-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

This is a card made with that dress pattern I created. It is listed here if you would like to give it a try.

These are purses made from flowers. I folded the flowers in half, added a brad for a closure. Then I used a piece of wire strung with some beads to make the handle. I then twised the wire under that brad. I then, carefully so as not to sew over the wire that is twisted inside the flower, sewed across the petals twice. Then I just glued it to a ready made thank you card I found at the Dollar Tree a few months ago.

Relax... Enjoy... You Deserve It!

2009-03-18T17:48:00.001-07:00

The colors didn't show up very well on these photos and I don't know why. I'll have to try to get better ones later. This card is created using some little 3D stickers I got YEARS ago. Like 6 or 7 years ago. I finally decided I had to use them. So, I designed the backgrounds for the card in PSP and the letters as well. Cut them out, put pop-dots under the letters and the stamp in the middle and made this card in a little brown envelope. The back says "Because you deserve it".

Dress Card

2009-02-27T17:08:00.000-08:00

Here's a dress card and template I made. Isn't this just cute? I used wallpaper to create the dress. I haven't attached the dress to the card yet, but I will soon!

Christmas Cards

2008-11-28T08:32:00.001-08:00